The seemingly mild head injury that killed actress Natasha Richardson was an epidural hematoma, the New York City medical examiner's office announced today.
The death was ruled an accident. Richardson was reported to have slipped and fallen while taking a skiing lesson at a Canadian resort. Although she is said to have appeared unhurt, she later developed a headache and was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
That's entirely consistent with the diagnosis of epidural hematoma, says Eugene Flamm, MD, chairman of neurosurgery at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York.
"It is a common syndrome where someone gets hit on the head, seems fine, and then falls down unconscious," Flamm tells WebMD. "It takes that much time for the pressure to build up on the brain."